K.R. Narayanan was born on October 27, 1920 in the village. Uzhavoor in Kottayam district, Kerala. His full name is Kocheri Raman Narayanan. He received his education from the University of Travancore. He passed the M.A. degree examination in English Literature standing first in the University. Later, he obtained B.SC (Econ.) degree from the London School of Economics with first-class honours, specialising in Political Science.
In 1943, he became a lecturer in the University of Travancore. In 1949, he joined the Indian Foreign Service and served in Indian embassies in countries like China, Japan, Australia and Vietnam. In 1978, Narayanan was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He remained a Member of Parliament from 1985 to 1992 and served various ministries. In 1992, he became the Vice-President of India. In 1997, he became the President of India.